Welcome to BYC. Sorry to hear of your loss. Just to get an idea of what your birds' replacement cost would be, you could check some hatchery websites to see what they ask for pullets. For example, Murrary McMurray charges about $18 for a bird that is close to laying age (price varies some with different breeds). If you get some new chickens, is there something you could do to safeguard the birds from your neighbor's dogs?

Of course you can't put a price tag on the value of a pet friend but maybe you can get more chickens and make a new friend.

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your birds, NorthFlChick has a good idea about seeing what Hatcheries are selling started pullets for, you could also check the BST forum for what those breeds generally go for, also maybe your state thread to see what they go for more specifically in your area.

I would say $ 15/$20 each. It's not cheap to raise chicks to that age and of course once laying their value goes up. I'll be very surprised if they actually pay you what they are worth. Most people think "it's just a chicken." I bet they think $ 2. is plenty for one., which is why the say they will pay.

Oh I know exactly how you feel. It's hard to put a price on a loved pet but if you don't make them feel some pain they aren't likely to lock their dogs up. When I lost mine , like yours most of them were heritage breeds. I found a breeder and quoted them that price. $30 each. The owner of the dogs said that he could get a cooked chicken for $10 and I said I sell their eggs for $40 a dozen , these are heritage birds. Took him 6 months to pay but pay he did.